The board of directors at Kerry Group has appointed Philip Toomey as chairman designate to succeed the group’s current chairman, Michael Dowling.

Dowling is set to retire from the board at the group’s Annual General Meeting next May.

Dowling was appointed as chairman of the board of directors in 2015 and has served as a director since 1998.

The appointment of Toomey, as chairman designate, came following a selection process run by the nomination committee of the board, led by James C. Kenny.

Toomey was appointed to the board in February 2012, also becoming senior independent director to the board and a member of the audit committee at the same time. He was appointed chairman of the audit committee in February 2013.

Toomey was formerly global chief operating officer for the financial services industry practice at Accenture, also serving as a member of the Accenture Global Leadership Council according to the group, and has a broad range of international consulting experience.

The new chairman designate also holds other positions at present. He is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and has been a board member of UDG Healthcare plc since 2008.

The announcement was made during the release of the group’s interim management report for the first nine months of this year, which came out earlier today.

Also Read: Kerry Group on course to record growth of between 4% and 6% in 2017

This change follows Edmond Scanlon’s appointment as CEO of Kerry Group earlier in the year, officially taking up his position following Stan McCarthy’s retirement in September.

Speaking at the time of his appointment, Scanlon said: “Kerry Group has gone through remarkable development over recent years under Stan’s leadership and stewardship.

Together with my colleagues, I look forward to continue to build Kerry Group and to embracing the growth opportunities that lie ahead of us.

“We’ve a strong footprint both in developed and developing markets. Our 23,000 employees are ready, willing and committed to deliver for our customers, regardless of where they are in the globe.”